


Dying Slowly Hurts

by KahtyaSofia



Series: Captain's Blog - S2 [3]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Episode Tag, Episode: Sleeper, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-17
Updated: 2009-11-17
Packaged: 2017-10-03 04:02:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KahtyaSofia/pseuds/KahtyaSofia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the immediate aftermath of stopping the Cell, Jack turns to Ianto.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dying Slowly Hurts

Although there wasn't much blood on his shirt or his coat, Jack could tell some serious damage had been done internally. He had begun to feel lightheaded and weak. Breathing was becoming difficult, too. That meant blood in his chest cavity. There was no blood on the outside because he was slowly bleeding out on the inside.

Taking the blade of the bio-weapon in the left side of his chest had seemed like a good idea at the time. He'd needed to contain and distract the sleeper agent from Cell 114. Gwen had needed time for readings and to shut down the implants. It hurt like hell, but it had worked. It's possible the blade itself hadn't done that much damage. The trouble was, he'd probably compounded the injury when they had had to run out into the field to avoid the explosion that incinerated the body of the dead sleeper.

Jack tried to breathe slowly and deeply as he herded Beth and Gwen back to the SUV. Getting back to the Hub was priority now. Beth needed to be contained and phone calls, to and from the military, needed to be handled. And, he was dying slowly. Not that this was a big deal, he was going to wake up from it again. It's just that the slow deaths hurt the most and were a little scary. It was likely a natural human reaction to feeling his life ebb away, regardless of his ability to resurrect.

Gwen looked at Jack askance when he tossed her the keys to the SUV, and headed for the passenger side. "I feel like relaxing," he said, by way of explanation. Gwen appeared to accept this.

Jack stared out the passenger window and blocked out the quiet chatter between Beth and Gwen. They discussed what had just occurred and what had to happen next. Jack made no contribution to the conversation, as he sat watching the scenery speed by. He found himself wishing Ianto were with him, instead of Gwen. If Ianto were here, they could just pull off the road and Jack could ease into death in the circle of his arms.

He was pulled from his thoughts by Gwen's distressed and insistent voice, "Jack! Jack! Are you okay? Jack, can you hear me?"

He tried to look at her, but he seemed too weak to move. His vision was graying around the edges, and each breath had become an effort. Jack shifted in his seat to try to look at her reassuringly, and the movement suddenly made him cough. His cough sounded like a death rattle. It was a deep, hacking, wet cough that left blood on his lips.

"Jesus, Jack! Why didn't you say anything?" Gwen demanded, hitting her earpiece. "Owen, Tosh, can you hear me?"

Jack laughed weakly and it dissolved into another round of coughing. "Too late for Owen," he whispered.

"He needs a hospital!" Beth said from the backseat.

Gwen ignored her and tried to report Jack's condition to Owen. She was rattling off the symptoms she could observe when Jack finally managed to raise a hand. "Too late. Just tell Ianto."

With that, Jack's hand fell back into his lap, his vision faded completely, and his chest stilled.

***

"Ianto!" Owen's voice echoed through the Hub. "Ianto, where the bloody hell are you?"

Stepping around the base of the obelisk, Ianto answered, "I'm right here. Shouting is unnecessary!"

"Oi! Gwen says Jack wants you to know he's died again. She's bringing him back in. They're a couple minutes out."

Ianto sighed, "Thank you, Owen." He moved off to lay out the camp cot and blanket he had brought into Jack's office, discreetly. They were there for just such instances. Jack had smiled and shook his head at Ianto's preparations, both of them aware they were completely unnecessary. However, Ianto was not to be swayed. If Jack was going to sacrifice himself for the team and for the world, the least Ianto could do was see to it that he was comfortable during the process.

"They're almost here!" Owen called and Ianto moved to join him and Tosh to await the fallen captain's return in the SUV bay.

When Gwen had parked, Owen rushed forward to yank open the passenger door and give Jack a cursory exam. "Yep, he's gone. Ianto, I'll get this end if you get his legs."

Ianto moved around the door to assist Owen in carrying Jack's lifeless body into the Hub. "It will be easier to manage him without the coat. Owen, can you get that off and hand it to Tosh?"

Owen moved to comply. As Ianto went to the open door, he found he had to insert himself between Owen's and Gwen's bodies.

"Excuse me please, Gwen," Ianto said, trying to remain polite in the face of his frustration. He noticed Gwen jump back, as if surprised that Ianto would insist on displacing her.

As Owen pulled the greatcoat free of Jack's limp body, Ianto felt Gwen try to reach around him to take it.

"Tosh can handle it, Gwen," Ianto said. "You need to see to Beth."

Owen slid Jack's upper body from the seat of the SUV, and as he moved back, Ianto reached in to grasp behind Jack's knees. They moved off toward the entrance of the Hub with their captain's body between them. Tosh followed in their wake, clutching the large coat to herself.

Owen and Ianto gently deposited Jack's inert body on to the narrow camp cot. He looked pale. He looked like what he was: dead. Ianto fought back a sense of panic. Jack was going to come back. Logic was warring with emotion inside of Ianto as he reminded himself, over and over, that dead was not forever where Jack was concerned.

"Thank you, Owen," Ianto said quietly. "I've got it from here." He gave him a small, brief smile.

Owen moved off without hesitation. "Right. If only all my patients were this easy to treat. If you need me, you know where I'll be."

Ianto caught sight of Tosh hanging Jack's coat on the rack in the corner of the office. He saw her turn and pause to watch. Ianto fluffed and positioned the pillow beneath Jack's head, then shook out the blanket and laid it over him. None of this was really necessary, but sometimes Jack came back a little chilled. Ianto was just doing all the small things he could think of, to make Jack comfortable.

"Can I help you with anything, Ianto?" Tosh asked in a soft voice.

He turned to smile at her, "Not at all. None of this is truly necessary. I just like to think it makes it that much more pleasant for him, when he wakes."

"That's very thoughtful. How long should it take?"

"Not very long, usually. The more trauma he experiences, it seems, the longer it takes. But, he really should be back with us very shortly."

Tosh nodded and headed toward her workstation. "Let me know if there's anything I can do, for either of you."

"Thank you," Ianto said with a smile.

He knelt beside the cot to await Jack's return to the living. There was nothing to do now but wait. Ianto watched Jack's gray face. He reached out to run his fingers lightly over his blue lips. No response could be seen or felt. Ianto smoothed the blanket down over Jack's chest, tucking it all the way around his still form. He ran a hand through Jack's hair.

Ianto lay his head down on Jack's chest, and continued to stroke through his hair. He listened for any sounds of a heartbeat or breath returning to the still body. He was only just barely aware when someone entered the office.

"Ianto!" Gwen said breathlessly, as she rushed into the office. "What can I do?"

Ianto slowly lifted his head to look at her over his shoulder. "Nothing. There's nothing to do now but wait. I've got it under control."

"What does he need? Another blanket? Will he want coffee when he wakes up? I can sit with him while you make it." Gwen approached the cot and stood staring down at the still-dead form of their captain.

"I've got it under control, Gwen," Ianto repeated, only a touch of his irritation bleeding through. "You need to see to Beth."

"She's waiting in the hydroponics lab. I'll sit with him now, Ianto; you must have things to do." Gwen made as if to shift Ianto out of the way.

Ianto held his ground. "I've got it, Gwen," he said quietly but firmly, not understanding Gwen's stubborn persistence.

He wasn't sure she was going to give way. There were a few tense moments when Ianto thought Gwen was going to try to forcibly move him from Jack's side.

"I'll just come back when he's awake, then," she finally said, moving for the door.

"He'll call for you when he's ready to talk to you, Gwen," Ianto said, returning his head to Jack's chest, sincerely hoping she didn't rush in as soon as Jack resurrected, as if she were the first person he would want to see.

***

Jack tensed and gasped. He felt Ianto's head leave his chest and his hands begin to run over Jack's form beneath the blanket.

"Ssshhh," Ianto soothed. "You're in your office, Jack. You can relax."

Jack lay back on the pillow and relaxed immediately, breathing deeply. "Son-of-a-bitch! Dying slow hurts!"

Ianto smoothed the blanket down Jack's chest. "It's over now. You're back with us at the Hub. Just take your time."

Jack scrubbed his hands over his face. "Where's Beth?"

"Gwen has her in the hothouse lab."

Jack growled deep in his throat. "What are we going to do with her?"

"Time enough for that later," Ianto said firmly. "You can afford to take a few minutes for yourself before you jump back into saving the world."

Jack found he was greatly happy to find Ianto beside him when he woke. He rolled his head on the pillow to look at Ianto, as he knelt beside him and smiled into his eyes. "Does dying earn me some of your coffee magic, Ianto?"

"Certainly, Sir."

"Alright, help me up. I've lain about enough for one day," Jack said, struggling to a sitting position and swinging his legs over the side of the cot.

Ianto took his hand and helped Jack ease up, but then he forestalled further movement by placing his hands on Jack's knees. He heard Ianto sigh heavily.

Jack glanced down to see a dark expression on Ianto's face. "What's the matter, Ianto?" he asked, covering the Ianto's hands with his own.

Ianto looked up at Jack from where he still knelt beside the cot, "You were just dead, Jack, now you're ready to jump up, have a coffee and go back to work."

Ianto's apparent concern for him warmed his heart. "I'm used to all this. Would you feel better if I took a little more time to recover?"

"Yes, Jack. I think I might," Ianto confessed quietly.

Jack smiled softly. "Thank you for taking such good care of me while I was dead!"

"My pleasure, Sir."

"Ooofh!" Jack frowned. "Again with the 'sir'." They both knew that this time, it was all in jest.

Ianto smiled. "Have you any requests, for the next time I sit vigil at your deathbed?"

"None," Jack replied quickly. "As long as you're there when I wake up."

"I'm happy to arrange that," Ianto said, as he glanced down and blushed.

Jack caught a movement from the corner of his eye. He glanced to the doorway of his office to see Gwen frozen in mid-step, a stricken look on her face. Jack found himself baffled by this. He watched as she retreated quickly,and quietly from his office door.

Ianto noticed his preoccupation and turned to look in the same direction. "What is it?" he asked.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say Gwen was surprised to see us sitting together."

"I believe a more accurate assessment would be disappointment. Envy, possibly?"

Jack laughed, "Well, she'd better tread carefully cause I'll fight her for you!"

Ianto rolled his eyes heavenward. "I'll go and brew your coffee and then I'll go out and clean up the SUV."

Jack stood and started to assess the condition of his clothing. "Thank you again, Ianto," he said quietly.

"You're always welcome, Jack."


End file.
